Newly released documents show details of Colorado's bid for Amazon's second headquarters

The Storage Tek site is pictured in Louisville in September. The 432-acre site is under contract to California's Bancroft Capital, which hopes to woo Amazon's planned second headquarters. (Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)

Within hours of Amazon's worldwide announcement of its search for a second headquarters, Colorado had the start of a plan: The state would submit a single, coordinated proposal.

"We ask that no one reaches out to the company directly and or tries to submit separate responses. We want to be respectful and mindful of the company's process and we will look very disjointed and not show up well if we are off in different directions," Michelle Hadwiger, deputy director of the state's Office of Economic Development and International Trade, wrote in an email to local leaders.

Hadwiger's message, sent nine hours after Amazon launched its search Sept. 7, was among a frenzy of emails between state leaders and others tapped to put together a cohesive pitch of why Amazon should pick Colorado, according to documents requested by The Denver Post and Denver 7 through Colorado's Open Records Act. The state has declined to share its Amazon proposal.

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The retail behemoth's unconventional approach to its $5 billion corporate expansion played out in spectacularly public ways: New Jersey offered $7 billion in incentives; a small town in Georgia pledged to create the city of Amazon; and Frisco, Texas, offered to build its own city around the company. HQ2, as Amazon called it, became a national pastime as cities made a play to attract the up to 50,000 employees that HQ2 may bring. Major cities, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Boston, shared specific sites.

But Colorado? Barely a peep.

Sam Bailey, who oversaw the Amazon proposal for Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., had previously confirmed that eight sites were included, representing urban and suburban locations in the Denver area. But he said nondisclosure agreements with Amazon prevented him from revealing actual sites, public financial incentives and other key details.

On Thursday, the state said it would share an edited version of its Amazon proposal next Thursday.

While the state documents shared with The Post late Wednesday included redacted references to the sites and incentives, the series of emails revealed a coordinated effort by state leaders to brainstorm early and include as many strategic partners as possible, from local universities and agencies to private firms such as Xcel Energy and Zayo Group.

By the day after Amazon's search announcement, Bailey sent a timeline to all economic development partners statewide. They had two weeks to submit their sites to Metro Denver EDC, which was leading the coordinated effort.

"You can see that it's thorough and inclusive - so everyone gets an equal shot from the very beginning," wrote J.J. Ament, CEO of the Metro Denver EDC.

Officials also sought advice from Regional Economic Models Inc., a consulting firm whose clients ranked Denver among the top three metro areas of the 10 best positioned to win the new Amazon campus. Atlanta was No. 1.

Amazon offered every city the same guidelines but didn't answer questions Bailey's team had. Certain guidelines eliminated most of the state, including Colorado Springs, which has neither at least 1 million people nor an international airport. But that didn't stop the city from supporting the state's effort.

"We have been educating our community on reasons why Colorado Springs is not a candidate for the HQ2 project," wrote Hannah Parsons, chief economic development officer for the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, adding, "There will not be a Colorado Springs bid."

Parsons offered to lead the support effort from cities not in metro Denver, the only region that met Amazon's location guide.

Other state organizations also offered their support, including the Colorado Department of Transportation. Executive director Shailen Bhatt mentioned Colorado Senate Bill 267, which passed in May and allowed the state to mortgage state buildings to generate up to $1.9 billion for transportation.

"The state has the financial means to make significant upgrades in infrastructure to accommodate Amazon's chosen location," Bhatt said in a Sept. 15 email.

Boulder-based telecom Zayo Group called it a "historic opportunity" and offered its assistance, which Stephanie Copeland, executive director of the state's economic development office, tapped into immediately to help work on the state's broadband pitch.

Ditto from Xcel Energy, which sent state economic development officials a note on the day of the announcement to "reaffirm Xcel Energy's dedication to the communities we serve," wrote Alice K. Jackson, a vice president.

J.B. Holston, dean of University of Denver's computer school, leapt into action with a message sent within four hours of Amazon's announcement.

"What if we proposed an Amazon web out here," wrote Holston, detailing an HQ2 that would be split into three sites: near DU, in a downtown skyscraper and on a suburban campus - "from which all the drones can be launched," he wrote with a smiley face.

Education also played a role in shaping the proposal to meet Amazon's needs for a "highly educated labor pool … and a strong university system."

State officials reached out to eight Denver-area colleges and universities but gave them just two days to respond. The schools, which included public and private institutions, were picked because of the types of jobs Amazon needs: executives, managers, accountants and engineers, with a preference for software developers. The state asked the schools to focus on how they help Colorado employers hire and develop the best talent.

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